NEW DELHI: Violence marred the ongoing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for removal of encroachments at Seelampur in North-East Delhi on Friday as angry traders and residents clashed with the police. Elsewhere in the Capital, the civic body's squads continued with their sealing and demolition operations targeting illegal commercial establishments and ongoing unauthorised constructions.

After the MCD demolition squad reached Seelampur to remove encroachments from government land and roads, a large number of people gathered there and started hurling stones at the MCD team and the security personnel accompanying them. The police had to fire teargas shells and use water cannons to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control. Over half a dozen people were arrested.

According to Shahdara (North) Zone Deputy Commissioner A. K. Singh, immediately after the eruption of violence senior police officers rushed to the area and camped there throughout the day.

After the crowd dispersed, the drive was resumed and more than 200 unauthorised structures, including makeshift shops, were removed, he said, adding that the drive would continue on Saturday. The MCD team had removed encroachments from public land outside more than 650 shops on Thursday also. However, the sealing drive remained in slow gear elsewhere in the city.

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